


Cowboy Take Me Away

by KikiKierra



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 11:46:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19440838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KikiKierra/pseuds/KikiKierra
Summary: Gibbs is forced to take a few days off work and decides to rent a cabin in the middle of nowhere. He invites Jack along. Fluff ensues.





	Cowboy Take Me Away

**Author's Note:**

> I'm slightly nervous about posting this because it's different to the kind of fics I normally write. But I love these two together and once I had this idea I just had to write it. This is mostly fluff (with feelings), the rating is to be on the safe side because of one tiny scene.
> 
> I obviously don't own NCIS or any of the characters (I wish I did though). And I have no beta reader so any and all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Also, this fic is based on the song Cowboy Take Me Away by the Dixie Chicks, so I would highly recommend you check that out.

Gibbs never took time off. Never. That’s why he and Vance were currently bickering away in Vance’s office. 

“Don’t need any time off, I need to be here”.

“Gibbs you have amassed far too many vacation days, you need to use some up. I don’t want to see you back here till Monday,” Vance said firmly. 

“Monday? Leon, today is Tuesday.” 

“Exactly. Now go,” he raised his eyebrows, his tone telling Gibbs that there would be no more discussion. As stubborn as he was even Gibbs knew when he was beaten. He shook his head, muttering under his breath as he stormed out of the office. 

He was still muttering when he found himself in Jack’s office. Whenever something was bothering him he always found his way to her. 

“Something wrong cowboy?” she asked, his annoyance amusing her. 

“Vacation,” was the one word response that followed. 

“Ah, Leon finally made you use some of that leave you have saved up huh? How long?”

“‘Til Monday”.

“That’s technically only three days,” she smirked. 

“Three days too many,” he muttered. 

She grinned at that. “Well you’d better make the most of it. What’re you gonna do? Drink whiskey and work on the boat?”

“Nah”.

“Well then?” she asked expectantly. 

“Rent a cabin by the lake. Some peace and quiet, leavin’ tomorrow, home on Sunday” he said with a smile. 

“Sounds good to me,” she replied. 

“Can come if ya want,” he said before he could stop himself, not that he really wanted to stop himself. 

She just stared at him and he worried that he’d overstepped an unspoken boundary, but there was no going back now. 

“‘m serious Jack, 7am my place, if I don’t see you I’ll know it’s not your thing”. Then just like that he was gone. 

She put her head in her hands. She wanted to go with him. She truly did. And she knew he wouldn’t offer just anyone. But her and Gibbs, alone in a cabin, for five days. Sounds like an exquisite form of torture. She grinned, of course she was going, time with him is one thing she’d never turn down. 

She headed to Vance’s office. “Hey Leon,” she said sweetly and he knew immediately that she wanted something. “Can I take a few days leave?”

He sighed “you think he needs a babysitter?”

“Something like that,” she replied as they shared a knowing look. 

“Fine”

“Thanks Leon,” she said, hiding her excitement badly. 

“See you Monday Jack,” he shook his head wondering if this would finally be the time those two admitted their feelings for each other.

“See ya”. She grinned as soon as she got out of the office. She felt like a giddy little schoolgirl all over again. 

***

She arrived at Gibbs’ house at 6:58, just as he was getting into his truck. 

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing you”.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” she said, throwing her duffel bag into the truck. She jumped into the passenger seat “let’s go cowboy”.

It was a long drive to the cabin and the first hour was spent in silence. Jack stared out the window, lost in thought as the city disappeared behind them. 

“You go here a lot?” she asked. 

“When I need to get away”.

“Thanks for letting me come”.

“I like spending time with you Jack,” he said simply. 

“I like spending time with you too,” she flashed him a sweet smile.

After a while they pulled into a gas station. While Gibbs filled the tank Jack went inside to grab some coffee and a handful of lollipops. 

Gibbs accepted the coffee then nodded toward the lollipops “seriously?” 

“What? I like them,” she said indignantly, handing him a red one. 

He shook his head but took it anyway, slipping it into his pocket before getting back into the car.

“So what’s it like, where we’re going?” she asked. 

“Beautiful,” he said “cabin looks out over the lake”.

“Can we swim?”

“If ya want, you bring a suit?” he asked, trying not to imagine her in a swimsuit. 

“Mhmm, I love the water”.

“A real California girl huh?”

“You got it. The ocean, rivers, lakes, anything water and I’m there in a heartbeat,” she said with a grin “how ‘bout you?”

He shrugged “like to fish”.

“Will you teach me?”

He looked at her in surprise. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Nothing, you just surprise me”.

***

They finally pulled up to the cabin. Gibbs went to unload the supplies they had picked up from the last town they passed through, while Jack just looked around in awe at the beauty of the place. There was a small wooden cabin with a porch that overlooked a crystal clear lake mere metres away. The lake had a small jetty presumably for launching kayaks and paddle boards and was surrounded by woodland. There was a grassy bank covered in wildflowers next to where they had parked the car, with woodland extending past this. 

Having unpacked the supplies Gibbs came out to find Jack. 

“You like?” he asked. 

“It’s gorgeous,” she said, kicking off her shoes and running across the grass, twirling around with childlike glee “it’s like heaven”. 

He grinned, her joy was infectious, he followed her onto the grass watching on as she spun around. 

She ran up and grabbed his hand, pulling him further onto the grassy bank. Letting go of his hand she lay down on the grass and looked up at the clouds in the sky. He stood beside her until she reached up and tugged his hand. 

“Lay down with me”.

He rolled his eyes but complied, lying down on the grass beside her. 

She rested her head on his shoulder. “It really is peaceful out here, away from the hustle and bustle of it all,” she said. 

“Yeah”. 

Being out in the middle of nowhere was one of his favourite things and being here with her made it even better. His feelings for her had grown beyond friendship a long time ago but he still didn’t have the courage to tell her. The risk of losing her terrified him too much. 

Eventually they made their way inside. It was getting late so Gibbs started to prepare dinner for the two of them. Jack sat on the other side of the breakfast bar watching him, having already tried to offer to help. 

“You like cooking?” she asked. 

He shrugged. “Not much choice when you live alone”.

“Did you cook for Shannon and Kelly?” she pressed. 

“Jack…”

“So that’s a yes then”.

“Sometimes,” he murmured. She waited but no more information was forthcoming. 

They ate their meals in silence. But she protested when he tried to take her empty plate to do the dishes. “You cooked, it’s only fair that I clean”.

“That’s not how it works Jack”.

“At least let me help,” she persisted, following him into the kitchen. 

“Fine,” he conceded, throwing the tea towel at her. 

By the time they were done it was late. “Where am I sleeping?” she asked. He nodded towards the bedroom. 

“Your bag’s by the bed”.

“We sharing?” she called from the bedroom as she quickly got changed. 

“I can take the couch if you’d prefer,” he called back, ever the gentleman. 

“Don’t be silly, I was just checking,” she said, he could practically hear her roll her eyes from the other room. 

She finished getting ready and slipped into bed. She was exhausted from the long drive and was fast asleep long before Gibbs came to bed. 

***

He awoke to find her curled up into him with her hand on his chest. This was bliss, he couldn’t deny that he loved her and loved her being here with him. As much as he wanted to stay there with her he gently extracted himself, took a shower, and went to brew some coffee. 

She woke to an empty bed and the smell of coffee. She padded out to find him sitting at the dining table nursing a steaming cup of coffee. He looked up and she didn’t miss the way he scanned her up and down, taking in the sight of her in her short, black nightgown. She helped herself to some coffee and toast before sitting down opposite him, the domesticity of the situation not lost on her, making her wish for more of this, forever.

“Sleep well?” he asked. 

“Perfect. You?”

“Same as always,” he shrugged, still watching her intently. 

“Can I help you cowboy?” she asked a bemused expression playing across her features. 

He thought about that, all he wanted was to be able to call her his. He shook his head “just enjoying the view,” he muttered. 

She rolled her eyes at that, muttering “idiot” under her breath. But her smile betrayed her, showing her true feelings. 

Having finished her breakfast she disappeared to shower and get dressed. In the meantime Gibbs grabbed his fishing gear from the truck. 

By the time she was organised she came out to find him leaning against the dining table messing around with a fishing rod. 

“What’s all this?” she asked, indicating the gear. 

“Fishin’, you asked me to teach you”.

She picked up a rod. “Alright then cowboy, let’s go”.

He followed her outside and down to the end of the jetty. 

“So, what do I do?” Jack asked, shrugging and waving the rod around aimlessly. 

Gibbs caught her wrists, stopping her movements. 

“Careful Jack, here, stand like this,” he explained as he grabbed her hips and positioned her body. She pushed herself back against him and smirked when she felt him falter briefly. 

He then took her arm and guided her through the motions of casting the rod. “Here now you try”. She cast the rod almost perfectly on her first try. 

“See, you’re a natural,” Gibbs said. 

She shrugged “now what?” 

“We wait,” he said, smiling knowingly. That lasted for all of five minutes before Jack handed the rod back to Gibbs. 

He laughed “bored already?” 

“Sorry Gibbs, thanks for teaching me but this is really not my thing, I’m kinda restless y’know,” she explained. 

“I know,” he said “it’s okay”.

“Wait, you what?” she asked “you know how?” 

“You’re not the only perceptive one Jack, you like surfing and boxing, you have a dart board in your office for goodness sake,” he said, shaking his head at the look on her face. 

“Point taken, you have fun Gibbs,” she said, patting his chest gently then wandering off back to the cabin. She grabbed a book from her bag and curled up on the porch swing. Although she was trying to focus on what she was reading she found herself watching Gibbs out on the jetty. 

He was aware of her staring and resisted the urge to look over at her. He loved having her around, it made him feel safe. And knowing she could hardly take her eyes off him made him feel even better. Eventually he was able to push her from his mind and focus on fishing, losing himself in the task.

Likewise, she immersed herself in her book, only occasionally stealing glances at Gibbs. Before long, the day was almost over and Gibbs packed up his gear before coming over and sitting down beside Jack.

“Hey, catch anything?” she asked, not looking up from her book.

“A few,” he answered, then, “you were watchin’ me”.

She blushed “was it that obvious?” She put her book down and looked at him.

He just smirked, that look that made her heart flutter. She lowered her voice “besides, do you blame me?” She ran her hand down his arm, feeling his muscles “a big strong man fishing, what woman wouldn’t watch?”

He shook his head and stood up, removing himself from the situation before he did something stupid. “Steaks for dinner?” he asked, firmly changing the subject.

“Sounds perfect,” she said, following him inside “gonna let me help this time?”

“Nope”.

She sat down in the same place she had the night before and watched as he cooked. 

“You like watchin’ me or something Jack?” He asked as he flipped the steaks over in the pan.

“Actually yeah, you got a problem with that?”

“Never said that,” he replied, still not looking at her.

“Mm, I didn’t think so … if anything, I’d say you quite like it”.

He looked over at her, eyebrows raised. She just grinned and shrugged innocently. 

They ate their meals sitting side by side on the couch. “I’ll tell ya something cowboy, you’re a damn good cook,” she said between mouthfuls. He didn’t answer but she knew he appreciated it. This time she collected the plates, beat him into the kitchen, and started washing up. She firmly pushed him out when he tried to take over.

“Gibbs seriously, stop trying to be a damn gentleman all the time. Go and sit down, a little washing up won’t kill me”. He obeyed, knowing she wasn’t going to back down. 

When she was done she rejoined him on the couch. She leant against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, pulling her into him. For Jack, this was pure heaven, she’d be content to stay right there in that moment forever. Gibbs absentmindedly stroked her arm as he found himself lost in thought, enjoying the feeling of her against him. As much as she didn’t want to break the spell, she was tired, she extracted herself from his grasp “it’s late,” she said by way of explanation.

He nodded “yeah”. 

It took neither of them very long to get ready for bed and soon they found themselves in almost the exact same position in bed. Jack fell asleep almost straight away, feeling safe in his arms. Gibbs, on the other hand, lay awake for hours, just thinking. He and Jack had toed this line between friends and something more for almost the entire time they’d known each other. And now he was ready to cross that line, he just didn’t know how to tell her, or if she felt the same, he could only pray that she did.

***

The next morning she woke before he did, she slipped out of bed careful not to wake him and made her way into the kitchen. She hunted through cupboards hoping to find baking supplies. She knew they hadn’t bought any but she also knew the cabin was stocked with a few things courtesy of whoever Gibbs rented it from.

She eventually found all the ingredients she needed to make pancakes. If he was going to insist on cooking dinner each night, she’d just have to return the favour by cooking breakfast. She knew the recipe by heart so within about 20 minutes she was spooning batter into a hot pan. She heated up a second pan to cook some bacon for Gibbs, knowing he was the type of person who’d eat his pancakes with bacon. She also brewed some coffee since it wouldn’t be long before he would be getting up.

In fact it was the smell of pancakes and coffee that woke him. He was still half asleep as he threw on some clothes and made his way toward the kitchen.

“What’s all this?” he asked.

“Breakfast,” she said as she turned around pushed him out of the kitchen. “Sit,” she ordered pointing to the same seat at the breakfast bar where she sits to watch him cook.

“Okay, okay,” he muttered, holding his hands up in surrender. He sat down as she poured him a cup of coffee and passed it over. He watched as she poured her own cup and proceeded to add five heaped spoonfuls of sugar to it.

She looked up, meeting his eyes. “I don’t wanna hear it,” she said sternly.

“Didn’t say a word,” he countered smugly.

“I can _hear_ you thinking,” she muttered, not breaking eye contact as she stirred her coffee.

“Oh,” he said, breaking out into a grin “so that’s how you come up with those profiles so quickly, you’re a mind reader?”

“Shut up,” she groaned, leaning over and punching his arm lightly. She turned her attention back to the pancakes, hearing him chuckle quietly. She divided the pancakes onto two plates, three pancakes each. 

He watched as she put all of the bacon on one plate. “Not havin’ any?” he asked, cocking his head in confusion.

“Nah, don’t want to ruin perfectly good pancakes,” she explained, handing him his plate and cutlery.

“Well what’re ya havin’ instead?” He took the plate and sat down at the dining table where he could still see her. 

“Good question,” she replied, thinking it through. Normally she’d have maple syrup or whipped cream but she knew there was no way in hell Gibbs had bought anything like that. Suddenly she had an idea, she went to the freezer and grabbed some vanilla ice cream, scooping some on top of her pancakes.

“You can _not_ eat that for breakfast,” Gibbs laughed. Only Jack would think ice cream was breakfast food.

“Watch me,” she said indignantly as she picked up her plate and her coffee and joined him at the table.

“That meal has more sugar in it than a candy store,” Gibbs teased between mouthfuls. She just rolled her eyes and kept eating her pancakes. “Thanks for breakfast though Jack,” he added “that was nice”. 

Once they were both finished he insisted on washing up so Jack went to take a shower. She changed into her swimsuit, deciding that today was a perfect day for swimming. 

Gibbs was sitting on the couch when she walked into the living room. “Hey Gibbs, you coming swimming?” she asked. He turned to face her and his mouth fell open. Her swimsuit was a bikini, it was tiny and showed off so much of her body, it was definitely not what he was expecting. 

She smirked, enjoying the way his eyes roamed appreciatively over her body. “Cowboy,” she prompted “you swimming or not?”

“I uh, no, I’m not swimming,” he finally answered. 

“Suit yourself,” she shrugged and headed outside.

As she immersed herself in the crystal clear water she felt her body relax. The water had always soothed her, it was one place she felt truly free. She was loving this break out here with him, but she couldn’t deny she’d been a little tense. She truly loved him and she wanted nothing more than to find the courage to take their relationship to the next level, but her fear of rejection held her back. But now, swimming in this lake, she was able to push all of those thoughts from her mind and truly relax. 

That is until he appeared. She sensed his presence and stopped swimming. She looked up to find him sitting on the edge of the jetty. 

“Change your mind?” she asked, gazing up at him. 

“Nope,” he countered, that infuriatingly beautiful smirk on his lips. 

“Then what are you doing?”

“Watching you,” he explained simply “like you were watching me yesterday”.

There was something about that statement that pushed her buttons, or maybe it was just the fact that he had such a good read on her. “Well at least I was subtle,” she snapped, then “so you’re just gonna sit there?”.

“Yup,” he said and grinned at her. 

That damn smile melted her frustration away with ease and she gave in to him, giggling at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

“Fine, stay there then,” she smirked deviously “but you don’t get to stay dry.'' With one sudden movement she skimmed the water, splashing him and soaking his shirt. 

He looked at her, she looked so pleased with her little idea. Two can play at that game though, he shrugged and yanked off his shirt and made a show of laying it out behind him on the jetty to dry. 

That stopped her in her tracks, she stared openly at his strong body, committing every inch to memory. Then she repeated her earlier movement, splashing him again, this time drenching his pants.

He chuckled and cocked his head at her “really Jack?”

She shrugged “well, you can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said shamelessly then went back to swimming.

***

Later that evening after dinner they sat side by side on the porch swing watching the sunset. She was curled up against him, with her hand on his chest and his arm around her.

“It’s truly beautiful out here,” she mused quietly.

“It’s not the only beautiful thing,” Gibbs said sincerely. 

She was used to his offhand compliments but the genuineness of this one caught her off guard and made her blush a little. “You’re pretty easy on the eyes yourself cowboy,” she replied.

She dragged her body away from him and sat up properly. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” she said, then slipped inside. In a few minutes she reappeared with her cell phone in hand.

“You won’t get any signal out here,” Gibbs muttered.

“Don’t need one for what I have in mind,” she said. She messed around for a moment and then soft music began to play. She gently tossed her phone onto the seat and grabbed Gibbs’ hand, pulling him to his feet. “Dance with me?” she asked softly, biting her lip “please?”

He grabbed her hip and pulled her close to him, guiding her as they moved to the music. They moved together as one, elegantly, and Jack momentarily wondered where Gibbs had learned to dance. But the thought left her mind as Gibbs dipped her gently and she was once again fully in the moment. They lost all sense of time as they danced, looking into each others’ eyes.

The sheer proximity of him was starting to affect Jack, she could feel her heart race as the intimacy became all she could focus on. They were so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body. She was glad he was leading the dance because she no longer felt capable of leading anything. Her eyes flicked down to his lips for a moment, causing her to lick her own lips and swallow hard. When she looked into his eyes again she knew she’d been caught. 

Seeing that he made no attempt to pull away or put distance between them gave her confidence. She leaned in and ghosted her lips over his, giving him a chance to put a stop to all of this if he wanted to. But when he didn’t she captured his lips passionately, closing her eyes and feeling him kiss her back with equal passion. 

When they broke apart she was overcome with shyness, flirting was her territory, this was much too close, too intimate, there was too much potential for hurt and rejection. “Goodnight cowboy,” she said softly then grabbed her phone and left him there. 

He watched as she went inside, knowing better than to follow her. He knew opening up was hard for her and the last thing he wanted to do was push her. He sat down on the porch swing and replayed the kiss in his mind. It had been one of the best kisses he’d ever had and it only made him more sure that he was in love with her. He allowed himself to imagine life with her by his side, an exercise he’d done many times before. But it felt different this time, knowing there was now a much higher chance all those daydreams could come true. 

Once he was satisfied he’d given her enough time to go to bed he made his way inside to do the same. Just as he expected, by the time he climbed into bed she was asleep, or perhaps just pretending to be asleep. 

***

He awoke the next morning to find her curled up against him, using his chest as a pillow and he had absolutely _no_ desire to move her. He lay awake running his fingers softly through her hair until she woke up. She looked up at him, blinking the remnants of sleep away. “Good morning cowboy,” she murmured.

“Mornin’ Jack,” he replied then pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. 

She smiled “Gibbs I-,” she started but the sentence died on her lips as that feeling overtook her again. That fear that he wouldn’t feel the same.

“Keep going,” he encouraged.

But she shook her head. “Nevermind,” she muttered, scrambling out of bed before her heart won the battle and overruled her head.

He sighed, frustrated by seeing these moments of her almost crossing the line then pulling back. Back to safety, back to comfort, back to the status quo. He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face before dragging himself out of bed.

***

It was a nice day so they decided to walk the trail in the woods by the cabin. For the first hour or so they walked in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. But eventually Jack spoke “what are we doing?” she asked quietly.

“Whatever you want,” the response came quickly and certain, as though he didn’t even have to think about it. 

“Gibbs …” she sighed.

“I mean it Jack. Whatever you want,” he said, stopping and grabbing her arms forcing her to stop and look at him. “Because I am totally in love with you, but if you don’t feel the same way, or you don’t want _that_ , then I will do whatever I need to do to keep you in my life”. 

She stood there open mouthed, processing all that she’d heard. “You’re in love with me?” she repeated quietly, biting back a smile.

“Yeah Jack, I am,” he said, tenderly brushing a piece of her hair from her face and hooking it behind her ear.

She smiled then bit her lip, looking up at him. “Good, because I’m in love with you too,” she confessed shyly, her voice barely more than a whisper. 

“You are?” he asked, not sure if he was really hearing her or if his brain was playing some kind of cruel trick on him.

She grinned and nodded “yeah”.

“Good”. He leaned down and kissed her gently before they wandered back to the cabin hand in hand. 

***

Snuggled up with him on the couch that night Jack couldn’t be more content. “So Gibbs,” she teased “vacation wasn’t so bad after all huh?”

He laughed “I guess not, in fact I’d say it was pretty darn good”.

She pulled herself up and straddled his lap. “Know what would make it even better?” she asked as she ran her hands over his chest.

“I’ve got a few ideas,” he smirked.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

He kissed her hard, claiming her lips with his own. His tongue swiped her lip begging for access that she granted readily. She moaned into his mouth and squirmed in his lap, making his jeans suddenly feel very tight. 

He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her into the bedroom. Gibbs laid her down on the bed, his calloused fingers gently undressing her. His hands explored her body, her shallow breaths and soft moans spurring him on. 

“You’re overdressed cowboy,” she murmured.

He quickly pulled his clothes off and immediately her hands were all over him, touching wherever she could reach. His hands teased her breasts then travelled lower as he kissed her neck, nipping lightly then soothing the sting with his tongue.

“Please ... Jethro,” she groaned.

The sound of his name spilling from her lips breathy and desperate drove him crazy. Finally he snapped, giving in to what he’d been wanting for so long.

***

She awoke when light filled the room, caused by Gibbs opening the curtains. “Hey you,” she whispered, still half asleep.

“Coffee and breakfast waiting for you out there,” he said tilting his head in the direction of the door “need to get on the road soon”. 

She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, sauntering up to him. “Don’t I even get a good morning kiss?” she teased.

“Of course,” he said kissing her gently “now, go eat”.

She nodded and traipsed into the kitchen.

Within the hour they were in the car and driving back to DC. When they arrived at the cabin only a few days earlier they had been just friends and now they were leaving it as something so much closer, so much more special. Jack couldn’t quite believe it but she was so excited to explore this new chapter of their relationship. Being with him, just the two of them, made her feel like she was flying, and she was _not_ looking forward to returning to real life.

They drove in silence, the radio playing softly in the background. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned against the car door, looking out the window. She sighed audibly. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, tearing his eyes from the road for a moment to look over at her.

“What about rule 12?”

“Fuck rule 12,” he retorted without hestitation, punctuating the sentence with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“What about your team?”

“They don’t need to know,” he shrugged.

She rolled her eyes “Gibbs, they’re agents, you trained them well, they _will_ find out.''

“Then let them,” he reached over and took her hand squeezing it comfortingly “they won’t mind”.

“And Leon …”

“... will look the other way, you _know_ that,” he had an answer for everything, hell he’d thought all of this through time and time again.

“C’mon Jack, it’ll be fine, _we’ll_ be fine,” he promised, earnestly.

She nodded “I know, I’m just nervous”.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he said finally coaxing a smile from her.

“Now,” he said, his tone suddenly lifting “am I taking you home, or back to my place?”

She laughed “my place cowboy, I’ve got some things I need to do, but…” she drew out the last word, “I’ll grab some things and come and see you in a bit, bring my car over, the last thing we want is to show up to work together tomorrow y’know”.

“That would raise a few eyebrows,” he conceded.

“Exactly,” she chuckled.

***

“They’re back today,” Ellie mused, sitting on her desk.

“Gibbs and Sloane?” McGee questioned.

“Yeah, so…” she drew the word out, raising her eyebrows

“So what?” McGee pressed.

“So what are we gonna do?”

“Do about what?”

“About finding out if they’re banging obviously,” Torres piped up, from his desk.

“Nothing,” McGee said, rolling his eyes “it’s not our business”.

‘But aren’t you curious?” Ellie insisted, jumping off her desk and coming over to McGee “even just a little bit?”.

“No!” McGee snapped, shaking his head in frustration.

“Well I definitely want to know,” Torres confirmed.

McGee sighed and shook his head again, knowing the two agents weren’t going to let this go easily.

“Yeah,” Ellie said firmly “we need to find out”.

“Find out what?” Gibbs asked, appearing in the bullpen at, as usual, the most inopportune moment possible. 

“Nothing boss,” McGee answered quickly.

“Hey Gibbs, Vance wants to see you,” Ellie said impulsively.

Gibbs nodded and left, heading in the direction of Vance’s office.

“What did you do that for?!” McGee hissed, at the end of his patience with Ellie’s antics.

“So we can talk to Sloane, all of us,” she insisted, looking pointedly at McGee.

“You know Gibbs’ll be mad when he realises the director doesn’t actually need to see him”.

“Well then, we’d better hurry,” Ellie countered.

“Fine,” McGee muttered, standing up.

***

Jack looked up from the files on her desk to see the three agents standing in her office doorway. “How can I help you three?” she asked. 

McGee and Torres looked at Ellie, happy for her to take the lead on this one. They followed her into the office and stood on either side of her, directly in front of Jack’s desk. 

“You and Gibbs,” was all Ellie said.

Well shit, that secret had lasted all of thirty seconds, admittedly she wasn’t surprised. “What about us?” she asked, feigning innocence. 

“You went on vacation, together,” Ellie said, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows.

“What, you’ve never gone on vacation with a friend?”

“I have,” Ellie agreed, sounding exasperated “but you’re more than friends aren’t you?”

Jack bit her lip, knowing she was caught. “It’s that obvious huh?” she asked quietly, screwing up her face and blushing slightly when Ellie nodded. “You guys don’t mind do you?”

“Of course not.'' “No way.” “We’re happy for you.” The agents all started talking at once which ended with all of them grinning.

At this point Gibbs came bursting into the office, annoyed about the wild goose chase Ellie had sent him on. He stood in the doorway as all four of them looked at him. From the same deer in the headlights expression on each of their faces he realised instantly what they had been talking about.

He opened his mouth then closed it again, shaking his head. “Nope,” he muttered then turned on his heel and left causing the others to look at each other then break into fits of giggles. But as the sounds of his friends giggling echoed down the hallway he smiled to himself. Yes, he was certain now, everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
